


He's a hazard but I love him anyway

by kalika_999



Series: Jack and Brock's misadventures [72]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Getting Together, HYDRA Husbands, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 23:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19120006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalika_999/pseuds/kalika_999
Summary: Brock looks different, this is problematic for Jack's silent pining.





	He's a hazard but I love him anyway

“Gross.  You’re doing it again.”

Jack frowns. “Doing what?”

“Staring.  Like you didn’t know that already.”

Without meaning to, Jack’s eyes immediately go back over to Brock, and then quickly away.  He frowns harder what he realizes what he just did.

Bucky smirks smugly and there’s a snort from his side, Clint’s there too.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You sure you wanna stick with that answer?” Clint pipes in with a stupid grin.   


“Hey, if that’s what helps him sleep at night then let him be.” Bucky teases. 

Jack can’t help himself but allow his eyes once again return to staring at Brock, watching him lean sideways against the cash counter of their favorite pizza place, his elbow resting against the surface and knuckles pressed to his cheek in a loose fist as he talks to Rogers while they’re ordering a couple of extra things.

The way he leans a little more into the counter as he goes to shout at Nick towards the back of the kitchen teases Jack with a little show of skin.  He knows he probably looks real pathetic.

Bucky’s elbow connects hard into his side. “Can you quit checking out my best friend and help us finish this pizza?  This was your idea.”

Summer was almost over for them and another school year was about to start.  Jack had just come back from staying with his cousins out in California for almost two months and a few of the guys wanted to hang out that same evening, catch up. 

Of course, no one told him Brock was coming, or that he looked like  _ that _ now. 

“I’m not checking him out.” 

Clint snorts so loud, a group of girls from another table give them all dirty looks. 

“You’re a freaking terrible liar, Rollins.” Sam pipes up after struggling with a slice of pepperoni attached to a bit of greasy cheese that kept stretching on and on.

It wasn’t his fault Brock apparently got some kind of makeover while he was gone.  Out was the two sizes too big frumpy gamer tees and ill-fit jeans or basketball shorts that were too long.  Someone dragged him into a store that better suited his needs and he even got a haircut to match it, a little wild compared to his easy part down the middle but he looked really great with it.  Apparently Steve was showing him how to work out too because  _ God knows how that happened _ when he was stuck to his gaming system whenever Jack was around him.  None of this was even remotely normal.

It’s already a little overwhelming for Jack.  His feelings might have already been lurking around before he’d left but this whole new makeover Brock gave himself just pushed it up a notch higher and he’s not sure how to handle all of it when he was so used to  _ not _ handling it at all. 

“Please just ask him out already, it’s so obvious why he did this.  You’d have to be stupid not to figure it out, Jack. Help put us all out of our misery.”

Jack had no idea what Bucky was going on about, they’re the ones that were here when Brock decided to change himself up, he doesn’t know  _ why. _

Besides which, he’s not exactly willing to ask him out and get laughed at, on top of losing his best friend.  It would break his heart and he’s not sure he could recover from that level of rejection. He knows Brock doesn’t feel the same way about him, that the way he’s seen their friendship’s always been like they were brothers.  Jack  _ definitely _ doesn’t see him like his brother though.  It’s fine, he’s been dealing with it okay. Sort of.  It’s kind of why he was happy to leave town for the whole summer, it was better than maybe getting into some kind of awkward situation he wouldn’t have been able to talk himself out of.

Jack’s eyes betray him once again as they fall onto the line of Brock's body as he was getting them some more napkins and talking to one of the girls working there.  He’s wearing a soft looking button up shirt that actually fits him, it hugs the small bit of curves he still has that Jack’s mom assures him is just his baby fat whenever she catches Brock grumping at himself and pinching at his sides, but there is less of it than he remembers.

If Jack’s completely being honest about things, it isn’t just that physically Brock looks good (he’s always thought his body looked good) and that he wants to mess that hair up while they’re on his bed.  It’s also that he wants to really be with Brock, like stupid married people, not just the simple boyfriends thing, and it’s stronger than before because it seems like people are noticing him a lot more now and it makes him want to mark him up to tell everyone who he belongs to.  It’s selfish, he knows, but with the way Brock is looking back at these strangers, he feels a little territorial about it like he was there first.

He really needs to get this under control.

“Oh God, can you stop that?  It’s stupid creepy, Rollins. You’re going to burn holes into that poor girl’s head if you keep it up.” Clint complains as Steve slides back into the booth.

“Is he agonizing for Brock?” Steve asks cheerily. “Every time we work out together, he talks about you nonstop by the way.” 

Jack groans and turns to scowl at him. “Can you guys get off my back?  I don’t know what happened when I left but I never expected this and now he’s right there.  We’re gonna be in school together and hanging out again and, I’m just..I’m  _ trying _ to keep it easy here.  I’ll get over it, my feelings are just go- “

“Yer feelin’s?”

Jack immediately tenses up, his mouth shutting closed.  They all turn towards Brock just coming in with an impossible stack of napkins in hand.  He stares at all of them quietly before his eyes rest on Jack and Jack refuses to stare back. “I thought I heard my name, I wasn’t disappointed.” 

Clint begins coughing out his drink all over his pizza slice and people start scrambling away in an effort to avoid being in any sort of splash zone.  Bucky starts laughing about it because he’s a dick.

Jack draws in a deep breath, and holds it while everyone is complaining about coke getting all over the table, even Brock as he angrily points at the mist of soda across his plate where he left his slices cooling.  Suddenly, amidst all the chaos, Jack turns around and starts walking out the door. 

Once outside, he cuts through the back alley and into the park, from there he runs home, completely mortified. 

*****

He’s in bed with only a lamp on beside his bed and a book, at the same time very purposefully  _ not _ thinking about what happened earlier that night.  His bedroom window groaned in protest as it was pushed up, Brock’s leg slipping in through the gap.

Dropping his book on his lap, Jack narrows his eyes just as Brock’s head peeks in. “Go away.” 

“Hey, if ya didn’t want me climbin’ in unannounced ya shouldn’t be leavin’ yer window unlocked.”

Jack frowns. “That’s actually considered breaking and entering, you’re trespassing if I don’t want you in here.” 

Brock waves it off with one hand and a roll of his eyes as he hikes himself over the sill and stands upright, dusting off his clothes. “So ya ran outta Nick’s like a bat outta hell.”   


It’s Jack’s turn to roll his eyes as he picks his book back up to ignore him, even if Brock drops himself down on the bed next to his feet.  “Had things to do.” 

Ignoring him was apparently harder than he thought.

There’s a long pause of silence and Jack hopes Brock gets bored enough to leave for his own house.

He should know better though.

“So.  ‘Bout what ya said.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Jack mutters, maybe a little too fast, refusing to look up from the page he was on.  He wonders if he could forcefully kick Brock out by manhandling him and maybe his parents won’t hear anything.  He decides Brock would never let him get away with it.

“Yeah ya did, I ain’t stupid.  Jus cause ya left fer two months didn’t make me a fuckin’ idiot.”

Jack sighs. “I know it doesn’t.  But, this is my problem, it won’t be an issue.”

“It could be.”

“Brock..” Jack sighs again. “I promise it won’t be, we can still be friends and do whate- ”

Brock bites his lip and looks down at the hands he now has clasped together in his lap. “We can’t.”

Jack freezes.  His brain comes back online after a few seconds and he blinks in surprise, dread taking over. “What does that mean?”

Brock looks back up at him, frowning and clearly annoyed.  “Ya know, fer a guy who’s in like..the 99th percentile with school, yer a real dumbass, Jack.” 

Opening his mouth to say _something,_ Brock quickly cuts him off. “No.  You listen. You left me ‘ere and I’ve been moonin’ over ya forever.  Bucky suggested I change,  _ not fer you _ but fer the new year.  He said my pinin’ is gettin’ outta style and maybe I can build up my confidence and feel better about myself.  Ya know what happened? I did feel better about myself! But I still couldn’t get yer stupid face outta my head, even when you were gone!  It’s been so frustratin’. Then we go to Nick’s and I find out you like me back? Holy shit.” 

He stops short and finally looks at Jack head on. “You do, right? I haven’t jus imagined that whole thing before you took off, yeah?”

Jack blinks at him a long moment, just trying his best to register everything Brock just said.  He’s having a hell of a time believing it.

At that, Brock’s impatience does the only thing he can probably come up with.  He scoots closer on the bed and pulls at the book, tossing it aside without much care.  Jack’s blindsided when two hands hold him by his head, then all of a sudden Brock's mouth presses suddenly against his own.  The kiss is firm, pushy, demanding; not quite forceful, but not willing to back down.  It’s so perfectly Brock. He can feel his mouth working to convince him, the scratch of their barely there stubbles on each other’s cheeks, the way Brock’s fingers tangle into his hair and Jack’s arms snake around and bodily tugs him closer.

It’s a good kiss. Something Jack’s never ever going to forget, no matter what happens between the both of them afterwards.  Brock immediately goes pliant in Jack’s arms, the boldness he was wielding has suddenly left him and then, after a moment, starts taking over with the enthusiasm he usually only has for his video games and his shameless love of Taco Bell. 

When they do break apart, they’re panting hard against each other’s lips, even though Brock keeps a tight grip on Jack’s shirt with both hands like he’s afraid he’s two seconds from being told to leave.  Truth is though, Jack never wants him to ever go away again.

Jack squeezes Brock's hips with his own hands in reassurance, and then turns his head to the side a little, pressing soft sweeping kisses along Brock’s cheek and then along his jaw.  He really wasn’t sure he’d ever get this chance, he’s not going to give it up now. 

“Yeah, so the feelin’s thing.  I maybe sorta love the hell outta ya, Rawls.” 

“Love?” Jack whispers, trying not to sound hesitant, his stomach twisting.

Brock swallows, then carefully climbs over so he can straddle Jack’s thighs and sit himself on his lap.  His arms slide forward, loosely wrap around his neck and he places a soft kiss, almost shyly against Jack’s cheek. “Yeah. You?”

“Yeah.” Jack breathes out, his hand locking around his wrist at the small of Brock’s back to keep him close. “Think I’ve been in love with you for a long time, Brock.” 

And then they’re kissing again.

It takes them a little while, but eventually they realize they’re already in bed and things get a bit less shy and more exploratory.  Jack does, in fact, get to mess up Brock’s new hairstyle and turn it into a limp sweaty mess. And he does get to see, the next morning in fact, just how well he’s managed to mark Brock up that’ll definitely be showing everyone just who he belongs to.

He’s smart enough not to let him in on that bit of possessive information though, not yet anyway.


End file.
